Client Health and Related Information System

Date Last Reviewed: June 3, 2025

Description of Services

Client Health & Related Information System (CHRIS) is a web-based technology platform that holds the patient health records for CHRIS participants, including Ontario Health at Home, authorized health service providers that are constituent members of Ontario Health Teams (OHT) and 3 bundled care hospitals. CHRIS provides them with detailed client records, case-management tracking and support, while enabling health-system integration to and from the community.

We manage CHRIS in our role as a HINP and/or an ESP. We may also operate as a PHIPA Agent for some health information custodians registered for CHRIS.

• The CHRIS application also provides users with access from the application to the following digital tools. These tools may be managed by Ontario Health (transitioned from other legacy agencies) or other health organizations.
  • eNotification is a web-service interface managed by Ontario Health that enables participating HCCSSs to be notified via CHRIS when their active clients are:
    • visited by Emergency Medical Services
    • presented to a hospital emergency department
    • admitted to or discharged from an Ontario hospital
  • eReferral is a web-service interface managed by Ontario Health that supports an automated method for a referring partner organization’s staff (acute-care hospital and primary care) to refer clients being discharged from a care setting to a CHRIS participant for services. Referring partner users can refer a patient directly to CHRIS participants from their system of record, which then automatically sends the information to CHRIS. Referrals are received by participants, right in CHRIS.
  • Health Partner Gateway is a portal application system that is integrated with CHRIS. It supports the timely and secure exchange of information between CHRIS participants with:
    • Their contracted service providers, who can access Health Partner Gateway to receive and respond to service offers, access referrals and specific patient records required for quality health care delivery
    • Their PHIPA Agents that support the coordination, administration, and provision of care to patients
    • Health Information Custodians that are within a patients circle of care
• Bed Board Management is a bed inventory management tool, managed by Ontario Health and used by Ontario Health at Home for long-term care, complex care and rehabilitation placement. It matches patients waiting for service to suitable provider organizations such as long-term care, short stay or respite. It also allows long-term care homes and hospitals to view a waitlist for bed types and services at their organization.
• ConnectingOntario is a tool managed by Ontario Health that enables health care providers and health organizations to share and access electronic patient information across the care continuum. Clinicians can securely access their patients' health information through a clinical viewer (portal) and/or via their electronic medical record system. CHRIS users can seamlessly access the patient health information available through the clinical viewer.
• Resource Matching & Referral (RM&R) is a shared web-based system hosted by the University Health Network containing personal health information in the form of referrals. The RM&R integration is expected to launch within the CHRIS application in the fall of 2023. RM&R matches patients to appropriate clinical programs and services such as acute care, rehabilitation, complex continuing care, home care and long-term care. Once launched, the Toronto Central and Central HCCSSs will be able to access RM&R directly from CHRIS.
• Ontario Ministry of Health has server connections with the CHRIS application that allow users in CHRIS to validate a patient’s identity and health card data and use a single sign-on service to access other digital health platforms (where available). A connection in CHRIS also is in place to streamline Ontario Drug Benefit authorizations.

Safeguards:

For information on how we protect personal information (PI) and personal health information (PHI), visit Safeguards for the Protection of Personal Information and Personal Health Information.

To contact the Ontario Health Privacy Office, visit Privacy: Contact Us.